Oak coupling



(No Model.)

Pat ented.Ma.r. 46, 118,94,

- (No Model.) f l s sheets-shear, 2.

- R. VHAUB. .GAR GOUPLING.

No. 515,771. Panama Mar. '6, 18.94.,.

FIGA.

wu. n no mama www.

wAsmamn. n. o.

(No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 3. R. HAUB. CAR GOUPLING.

110. 515,771. Pa1en1ed1v1arf-va 1894.

FIG 6.

UNITED STATES PATENT nuten.

RUDOLPH rinus, or SYDNEY, New SOUTH WALES.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 515,771, dated March 6,1894.

Application filed August 12, 1893. Serial NGASZBO. (No model.) Patentedin New South Wales January 19, 1891, No. 2,746.

To @ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RUDOLPH HAUB, engineer, a subject of the Queen ofEngland, residing at No. 145 Macquarie Street, south, in the city ofSydney, Colony of New South Wales, have invented a new and usefulAutomatic Coupling Suitable for Railway or Tramway Rolling-Stock, (forwhich lhave obtained a patent in the Colony of New South Wales, No.2,746, bearing date January 19, 1891,) of which the followin gis aspecification.

My invention provides a ready and expeditious means of both joining anddetaching railway or tramway vehicles, and is so devised that the actionof coupling shall be performed automatically at the time when thevehicles are brought together; the action of u ncou plin g being alsoperformed with the aid of the same mechanism.

j To carry out these Objects I attach conti guously a hinged hook to`the end of one vehicle, and a hinged link, in combination with anadjustable lever, to the end of the other vehicle. These appliances aresecured pret'- erably to the drawbars, but may, if desired, be pivotedto brackets attached to the end framework of the vehicles. The hook andlink, though hinged, are practically in the same plane when coupled, andare each capable of adjustment to a rising and falling movement. Therange of these movements, which occur simultaneously, is, however,limited, so as to secure ready contact ofV the hook with the adjustablelever, and of the link with the hook. The falling.- movement of the hookonly takes place during the action of uncoupling, the link being thenstationary. The

rising movement takes place during the action of coupling, that is tosay, the hook is made to ascend by means ot the adjustable lever, and isat the same moment brought -in contact with the end of the link which ispushed upward, and, passing over the point of the hook, falls betweenthe jaws. The adj nstable lever, if attached to the drawbanis made inthe form of a bell crank lever, one arm being constructed so as to forman inclined plane for the hook to slide upon, and the other to receivethe motion imparted by an actuating cam or lever attached to atransverse bar having on its outerends handles provided with ratchetsand pawls. If the adjustable lever is bracketed to the body of thevehicle, the cam maybe dispensed with and the transverse bar passedthrough the boss of the lever, in which case the form will only be thatof an inclined plane whose position may be varied by operating thehandles attached to the transverse bar.

I am aware that one or more rollers may be provided in the arm ot' theadjustable lever for the hook to slide upon, in which case the inclinedplane may be dispensed with. Such a device would, however, be amechanical equivalent.

In operating the adjustable lever by means of the transverse bar,whether I use an actuating cam Or the transverse bar only, the handleson the ends thereof are so placed, that after the coupling action hastaken place, the attendant may press the handle downward and lock it bymeans of the pawl provided. This will have the effect Ot tightening thegrip of the hook and link, and will at the same time cause the inclinedplane to assume a truly horizontal position. Then this movement isaccomplished, it will not be possible to in crease the strain orpressure on the surface of the inclined plane, so that any movement ofthe buiters will only cause a sliding motion to be imparted to the hookand link upon the inclined plane, without exert-ing a downward pressure.By releasing the pawl referred to,

and raising the handles, the hook will descend` and disengage itselffrom the link, the vehicles being thus uncoupled. The attendant then byallowing the handles to fall, will cause the pawl to again engage withthe handles, the various parts of the mechanism will then be so disposedthat the operation of coupling may be repeated automatically the momentthe vehicles are brought together again. L

The foregoing description has reference to my mechanism when attachedsingly to vehicles, but it is capable of being used in a combined form,that is to say, a hook and link, adjustable lever, and inclined plane,together with its actuating mechanism are all attached to each end ofthe vehicles. The

hook and link being placed side by side, preferably upon the draw bar,the parts are thus IOO duplicated, and will act in unison with eachother in the manner described for the single coupling.

To assist in the rapid release or disen gagement of the coupling, thelink is provided with a connecting chain which is also attached to theadjustable lever, which, when actuated by the attendant operating thehandles on the transverse bar, imparts a lifting movement to the link,such movement occurring simultaneously with the downward movement of thehook. When the aforesaid handles on the ends of the transverse bar areallowed to descend to their normal position for disposing the variousparts for coupling automatically, the chain referred to is in a slackcondition, which allows the link to occupy its rightful position forsliding upon the point of the hook attached to the contiguous vehicle,the hook at its side being also in its rightful position to engage withthe link attached to the contiguous vehicle. When it is desired toprevent the vehicles coupling after they have been disengaged, thehandles attached to the transverse bars are operated by the attendant asfor uncoupling, and are retained in that position bythe pawls, which areprovided with a loop or link into which the ends of the handles areinserted.

My invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in whichsimilar letters are used throughout the dilferent views to indicatesimilar parts, and in which- Figure 1, Sheet l, is a plan, showing thehook attached to the end of one vehicle, and the link, adjustable lever,transverse bar, and handles and pawls attached to the end of the othervehicle. Fig. 2, Sheet l, is a side elevation showing the relativepositions of the hook, link, adjustable lever, transverse bar,

i and one handle and pawl when the vehicles are uncoupled, the buers onthe one side of` the mechanism being omitted so as show the hook andlink distinctly. Fig. 3, Sheet 2, is a repetition of Fig. 2, showing thecoupling action commencing. Fig. 4, Sheet 2, is a repetition of Fig. 3,showing the coupling action completed. Fig. 5, Sheet 2, is a sideelevation, showing the maximum movements of the various parts of mymechanism to prevent disarrangement of the coupled hook and link. Fig.6, Sheet 3, is a plan showing the various parts represented in Fig. lduplicated.V Fig. 7, Sheet 3, is a side elevation similar to Fig. 2, butwith the parts duplicated.

In the various figures: A and B represent the ends of two railwaytrucks: A and B buffers of same: C, hook attached to drawbar of A: C',pin pivoting C: D, link attached to drawbar of B: D', pin pivoting D:D2, lifting chain. attached to D and F: E pendent attachment to drawbarsupporting adjustable lever F: F adjustable bell crank lever: F', pinpivoting F: G, inclined plane formed on F: H, cam face of F: I,transverse bar carrying handles J: J, handles: K, ratchet teeth in J: Lpawl engaging in K: L', loop or link on L: M cam attached to I foradjusting F.

In Fig. 2, C and D are shown disengaged and occupying their maximumdownward position; F is also at the lowest point of contact with C, thehandle J being at its rising limit.

In Fig. 3, F and J occupy their relative normal positions requisite toproduce automatic coupling when the vehicles are brought together, linkD is shown rising upon the point of hook-C, and is in the act of fallinginto the jaws of C.

In Fig. 4, the coupling action is completed the handle J being engagedwith the pawl L and the outer ratchet K.

In Fig. 5, the adjustable lever F is raised so that the inclined plane Gis truly horizontal, and hook C and link D are raised to their maximumheight by the handle J being pressed downward, so that the pawl L shallengage the inner ratchet K, the cam, M, pressing against cam face, H, ofadjustable lever F.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

l. In a car coupler, a vertically swinging link carried by one car, avertically swinging hook carried by the other car, a bell lever pivotedbeneath the link having a forwardly extending inclined face for liftingthe hook into engagement with the link, and means for tilting said belllever to hold the hook and link in engagement,substantially asdescribed.

2. In a car coupler, the combination with a vertically swinging linkcarried by one car and a vertically movable hook carried by the othercar, of a bell lever pivoted beneath the link having an inclined face orarm for raising the hook into engagement with the link, and a hand leverfor operating said bell lever to bring its forward face into ahorizontal plane to support the coupled parts, substantially asdescribed.

3. In -a car coupler', a vertically swinging link secured to one car, avertically swinging hook secured to the adjoining car, a bell leverpivoted beneath the link having an inclined forward portion for liftingthe hook, a connection between the link and lever whereby the downwardmovement of said forward portion will raise the front end of the link,and means for manually bringing said forward portion of the bell leverto a horizontal position beneath the coupled parts, substantially asdescribed.

'In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twowitnesses.

RUDOLPH HAUB.

Witnesses:

HARRY A. SMEDLEY, ARTHUR J. STONE.

ICO

IIO

